Cause And Effect Of The Pregnancy Rate During The First Trimester

One of the most widely discussed issues within the topic of abortion is the mental health of the mother. Research by Guttmacher Advisory says “Based on the best scientific evidence currently available, there is no credible evidence that abortion, in and of itself, causes mental health problems for most women.”(2008). Guttmacher backs their claims with studies and research done by the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA states that many studies didn’t take into account how a woman’s mental health was before thinking about abortion. They also point out that any significant life event is stressful such as divorce or a death so one cannot say abortion

Segre, A. R. (n.d.). Perinatal Depression: A Review of U.S. Legislation and Law. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3725295/

There was a case-controlled study that was performed using data from the pregnancy registry in Quebec. It showed the some doctors prescribed the woman the antidepressants to help with their depression and moods. There was one woman whom had a psychiatric disorder before the study took place. The antidepressant exposure was shown according to the months of the trimesters of use and what type of antidepressant they took. The infants born small for gestational age cases showed that the infants with a birth weight less to the tenth percentile following the Canadian charts. There were also, the relative risk took into factor. They were changed and shifted due to possible confounders.

Nearly 81% of women who receive abortions experience subsequent mental health problems according to a recently published study by The Royal College of Psychiatrists. The study demonstrates that the aftermath of an abortion can result in higher rates of anxiety, depression, various forms of substance abuse, and suicidal behavior. As a result of the study, it shows that women who have an abortion face almost double the risk of mental health problems as women who have their baby. This outcome is due to the fact that most women who are terminating pregnancies “may feel a greater sense of loss, anxiety and distress due to lack of support”, as summarized in the Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit reproductive health organization. In fact, a five-year study shows that 25% of

Hogue, Carol J. R., et al. "The Association of Stillbirth with Depressive Symptoms 6-36 Months

According to two recent studies, 7-13% of all postpartum women suffer from depression. Even more alarming, the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) in mothers who have pre-term infants rises to 30-40% according to a recent review (Robertson E, Grace S, Wallington T, Stewart DE., 2004; Schmied V, Johnson M, Naidoo N, et al., 2013). Mood and anxiety disorders, specifically PPD, are severe, yet common complications in women of reproductive age. Undertreated depression in postpartum women is associated with health risks for both the mother and infant, making the goal of euthymia a top priority in the care of postpartum women. Current practice regarding PPD focuses on the triad approach of early detection and prevention, the use of pharmacotherapy, and the use of psychotherapy. However, the treatment of mental illness during pregnancy requires weighing the benefits of pharmacological treatment for the mother, to the risk of the medications on the growth and development of the fetus as well as the theoretical risks associated with undertreated depression. However, many studies are showing that the risks of postpartum depression to both the mother and infant significantly outweigh the risks of pharmacological treatment during pregnancy. Also, due to the ethical issues surrounding trials of pharmacotherapy during pregnancy, further research to determine evidenced-based methods of treatment are still necessary. The most important intervention to date is a

Do they believe that antidepressants are safe? Do their studies give results that were now shown in the ones claiming that antidepressants are harmful? Let’s evaluate some of these claims. What I found is most of their claims is that antidepressants used during pregnancy do not cause birth defects, but nothing about the increased risk of aggression, suicide, or other problems that could be caused by their use. The first study I discovered was ‘No increased risk of autism, ADHD with prenatal antidepressant exposure, study indicates’ done by the Massachusetts General Hospital preformed earlier this year. The researchers looked at the medical records from three Massachusetts health care facilities, and found “no evidence that prenatal exposure to antidepressants increases the risk for autism and related disorders or for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)” (Massachusetts para 2). They had stated that even though there was an increase in autism and ADHD incidences when antidepressants were taking taken during pregnancy, it was concluded that “antidepressant exposure during pregnancy did not increase the incidence of either condition” (Massachusetts para 1). They believe that antidepressants were believe to cause these conditions, were actually due to those researchers failing to take into account the difference “between mothers who take antidepressants and those who don’t, in particular that those taking

In 2004, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory bodies (including Health Canada) issued stern warnings that a paradoxical risk of suicide ideation accompanied antidepressant usage in adolescents. Originally applicable to teenagers aged 13 to 17, the warnings were expanded to include young adults aged 18 to 24 in 2007 (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2007). These warnings have eroded public confidence in antidepressants, causing fewer prescriptions to be issued (Gibbons, 2007). The FDA’s conclusion that newer antidepressants (SSRIs) cause suicide ideation in young people comes from a comprehensive review of all published and unpublished clinical trials. However, several prominent mental health experts dispute the validity of the FDA’s analysis and the recent decrease in antidepressant prescriptions has sparked an increase in youth suicide rates. The governmental warnings are actually harmful to adolescents, as SSRIs bring an advantageous risk to benefit ratio for suicide rates in the long term and can be safely used if properly monitored.

Untreated perinatal mental illnesses have also been linked with an increased risk of suicide. According to Mendez-Bustos et. al suicide has been shown to be one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the last two decades and in the perinatal period the rate is not showing any signs of improvement. In 2005 among women aged 15 to 44 years suicide was the fourth cause of death in the US (Mendez-Bustos, Lopez-Castroman, Baca-García, & Ceverino, 2013). A 2006-2008 review of maternal death in the UK identified psychiatric disorders and suicide in particular as the leading cause of maternal death. In those same years there were 1.27 maternal deaths per 100,000 maternal deliveries in the UK as a result of mental health problems (CMACE, 2011).

The main argument being made is that some antidepressants can cause birth defects, the article provides us with a study to help prove this. The study looked at data on more than 38,000 women who had given birth in 1997-2009 and compared what the mother’s antidepressants are and the child’s number of birth defects (Neighmond, 2015). One concept or idea that ties into child development is epigenetics, where the environment influences or alters gene expression (Berk, 2018), which makes me wonder if in some cases the child being exposed to an environment of a depressed mother, it may cause some genes to alter. This also ties into the concept of passive gene environment, where parents who are genetically related to the child set up the environment

This paper is about miscarriages (Spontaneous abortion). Miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy in the first 20 weeks. About 10 to 20 percent of known pregnancies end in spontaneous abortion, and more than 80 % of these losses happen before 12 weeks. A lot of women today experience miscarriages without even knowing it has happened, if only all women had that experience there would be no grief. But that is not the case. So what things put a woman at high risk for miscarriages? It could be age if a older women gets pregnant and has a miscarriage, the egg is too old and there is a malfunction in the DNA make up, a young girl who’s body has not matured enough to process a strong enough egg, the women who abuses drugs, than there is the more severe cases such as illnesses and diseases and then there is the women who may have been exposed to a STD’s and it has caused her to become unfertile. It has been found that 30 to 50 % of fertilized eggs are lost before or during the process of implantation often so early that a woman goes on to get her period at about the expected time. If only this could happen to all women who have a spontaneous abortion (miscarriage) it would save so many mixed emotions.

There are times that one feels hopeless during a situational event, but usually this feeling passes. Depression can be situational or clinical. The severity of the depression can cause one to be suicidal, especially if one is diagnosed with clinical depression, or a bipolar disorder. In the research report, Epidemiology of Women and Depression, it states that it is more common for women than men to have depression, and hormonal changes can contribute to depression. Pregnancy can cause depression, but what about mothers who also have a depressive disorder? (Kessler). This paper will look at these concerns, and will look at the risks to the mother and child, as well as the pros and cons of taking antidepressants (ADs) during pregnancy.

Even though many consider medications as a treatment to depression, it has high risk factors. It’s true that antidepressants like SSRI’s supposedly help the quality of improved life. However, are the consequences worth it? First of all, women using antidepressants have 20 % increase in both PTB and LBW compared to those who never used them during pregnancy (Cantarutti, Merlino, Monzani, Giaquinto, Corrao 1). Antidepressant medication is frequently prescribed to pregnant and lactating mothers. Women taking medications as treatment during pregnancy has a higher risk of getting birth defects to their children. Medications has proved to cause like metabolic syndrome and bipolar disorder. Generally, if SSRIs are taken during pregnancy,

Various studies have been conducted to show the psychological effects following an abortion. According to the results some women experience depression and anxiety. These psychological effects reflect on several factors. Abortion may relieve stress by ending an unwanted pregnancy, but the event itself may simultaneously be experienced as a stressor causing anxiety grief, guilt, despair and anger. These factors could lead to depression, as feelings of powerless, anger and self-condemnation are emotions that underlie depression. Controversies exist whether abortion is linked with mental health or not. Future research requires a better understanding of the conditions that lead to unwanted pregnancy and abortion with the ultimate goal of improving women’s lives and well being.

Miscarriages happens because of different reasons. Gerber-Epstein, Leichtentritt, and Benyamini (2009) mention that around one third of females go through one miscarriage in their life. They also mention that in the past decades, there has been more studies in the miscarriage topic since it has become a common issue. Kjaersgaard et al. (2013) mentions that antidepressants can be a cause of